


that damn hat

by yellowfang



Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Christa is the Caravan, Gen, Post-Canon, Reunions, Reunited and It Feels So Good, WIP
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-29
Updated: 2019-03-29
Packaged: 2019-12-26 06:53:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18278066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yellowfang/pseuds/yellowfang
Summary: Violet and AJ, on patrol, scout the caravan from a distance. The guards recognize Clementine's hat.





	that damn hat

The tall trees eclipsed the school in the daytime. As Violet eyed the caravan from a distance, AJ crept farther ahead. The tarp-covered carts looked like those wagons from that old computer game _Oregon Trail_. Violet remembered staying up late after hours in the Ericson library. Louis always died first of dysentery and his belly laugh was the first thing to get them caught. Her stomach churned as she remembered Lilly. If AJ hadn’t unloaded half a clip onto the woman’s corpse, Violet knew she would walk the earth just to deliver a similar justice.

She blinked the thoughts away to focus on the mission.

“AJ.” She hissed, jutting her finger at a low-hanging branch.

The boy stopped in his tracks to nod. She knelt, her own palms interlocked, face up. “Up you go, kiddo.”

AJ perched from the vantage point, eyes narrowed. As he adjusted Clementine’s – no, _his_ – baseball cap, it fell from his grasp. He resisted the urge to swoop down and hugged the branch tighter.

The horse pulled only one cart with just two guards: one man, one woman. Rifles were slung on their backs, but they walked beside the animal at a snail’s pace. For so much talk of a “war” days prior, this caravan was low on defense.

“Watch out for _muertos_.” The man spoke in a lower register. It didn’t sound natural.

AJ’s eyes darted between the strangers and the hat. He prayed for an option that wouldn’t blow their cover or leave the hat trampled.

The man talked his companion’s ear off, but neither she nor AJ tuned in to his words. AJ counted to five Mississippi as she stared straight ahead.

“Hold on,” she held her hand up, tugging at the horse’s bridle. “You see that?”

The man stood still, looking to the trees for lone walkers. He met his companion’s gaze and followed her eyes, leading them to the old ratty blue hat. He blinked. “Was that there a second ago?”

“I haven’t seen that hat – a hat like _that_ – in years.”

“Me neither.”

He knelt on the ground, lifting it for further inspection. “Clem?”

AJ saw red. He balanced himself along the branch and sicced the man from above, landing squarely on his shoulders. He gnawed on his ear.

“Fuck!” The man yelped, shaking the boy off like a dog. AJ bit down.

The woman latched onto her gun, nestling her finger on the trigger.

“AJ!” Violet revealed herself from cover, hands up. “AJ, stop!”

AJ loosened his jaw, only to hiss directly into the guy’s ear. “That’s _mine_.” His eyes stayed solely focused on the hat. How dare he hold it?

“Who the fuck are you?” the woman steadied the gun at the children.

“Dammit, AJ- leave him alone.” Violet kneaded her temple.

The young boy obeyed, but stared the strangers down, blurting out. “How did you know Clem?”

The man shot the woman a look as he got a good look at his miniature attacker. “Wait, did you say AJ?”

“That’s Javi.” The woman cut in, holstering her gun. “I’m Christa.”

“Vi, stay. I need Clem.”

AJ was out of there before she could even protest. Violet stood there, bewildered, as the little man called the shots.

* * *

 

“ _Clem!_ ” AJ raced back to camp, zig-zagging through the tall trees. He called out his sister’s name over and over again until his voice tired out. “Clementine!”

She met him at the black iron gates.

“AJ? I thought I-” she tried, but he interrupted.

“You need to see this!” The boy took her hand, causing her to wobble on her crutches.

“Whoa, hold on. You gotta give me a minute, goofball.”

* * *

 

Clementine noticed three figures emerged in the distance. Violet met them halfway, leading the strange traders. The woman held onto the old hat and the man looked just the same as she remembered in a baseball uniform and everything. “Christa. Javi.” She was surprised their names still registered on her tongue. Remembering her last reunion, she stayed where she stood.

“Don’t do that again, AJ.” Violet scolded, half-heartedly.

“Boy, am I glad to see ya.” Javi said. “Just don’t sic your boy on me again.”

“It’s that damn musky ass hat, Clem.” Christa’s voice cracked.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Christa is the caravan leader and no one can tell me otherwise. She's still unknown, so, yes, this is canon compliant. This fic is 5 years in the making and I finally don't have to make it canon divergent. This is incomplete, but I'm posting now so I have incentive to finish.


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